


Anonymous Love Notes

by smoothmovebro



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Orchestra, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, Mystery, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoothmovebro/pseuds/smoothmovebro
Summary: The kids of the Middleborough Orchestra don't look like much. They're unassuming teenagers with unassuming lives.Which is why it's such a big deal when multiple members of the orchestra begin to find love notes in their instrument cases. Who's leaving the notes? Why them? And why the hell does Jenna Rolan stick around at rehearsals when she's in color guard?





	Anonymous Love Notes

**Author's Note:**

> written for nanowrimo 2017  
> based on a myriad of the author's real-life experiences

_Incident #1_

Members of the Middleborough Orchestra find something interesting after coming back from their half hour break at rehearsal.

Michael Mell, one of the percussionists, finds a paper on top of his chair. It’s folded up and it has his name on it.

Rich Goranski, the backup percussionist for this rehearsal, also sees a folded-up paper with his name on it.

The two boys look at each other, wondering who could’ve left this.

“Definitely not me, dude,” Rich says without prompt. “We were together that whole break.”

“It can’t be me, either,” Michael says. He unfolds his paper and reads. The note is handwritten with loopy flourishes and inconsistent slants. Definitely written by someone who wants to make an impression but is too overcome with nervousness to keep calm.

> _Your hair looks really nice today. Do you do something special with it or is it naturally like that?_

Michael blushes and touches his hair. He doesn’t put product in it or anything, but he does wear a headband every night after showering to get his wet hair away from his face while he does some late-night studying. That’s how he gets that swoop in his hair in the morning.

He shows the paper to Rich. “Did you set up one of your trumpet friends to do this?!” Rich grabs the paper from Michael, reads, then give is back. The other boy shakes his head.

“Can’t recognise who did it.”

Michael gestures at the paper in Rich’s hand. “Let’s see yours, then!” He leans over in the narrow space of their section of the rehearsal room and grabs at the paper.

“Don’t touch me, tallass!” Rich cries. “You got to read yours in private, let me do the same with mine!” Michael relents and waits for Rich to read his.

Rich unfolds the paper and finds a guitar pick falling out. He picks up the pick and recognises it as one of his own. It’s his favourite, too. _So that’s where it went_ , Rich thinks. He reads the note.

> _You dropped this while you were backstage in the auditorium. I thought you might want it back._

“Dude, that was your favourite guitar pick,” Michael says. Rich looks at the pick in question and hands over the note for Michael to read. Michael gasps. “No one else but us two know about your guitar thing in the auditorium!”

The two of them stare at the tiny triangular piece of plastic Rich is holding. “Who could’ve done this?” they both mutter.

The other instrumentalists pour into the room. Michael and Rich stow away their notes in their pockets, with Rich taking extra care to put his pick somewhere safe. They position themselves at their respective sides and prop up their folders on their stands.

Michael calls out to Jeremy Heere, one of the clarinets. “Jeremy, did you see anyone come here during break?”

Jeremy looks at Michael with a raised brow and shakes his head in reply. He grabs his clarinet and takes a seat. His stand partner comes along and the two of them chat about who plays what in that section with the chords.

Rich sees Jake Dillinger, the bassist, walk into the room. He calls out. “Jakey Dee! Seen anyone come in here during break?”

Jake takes his bow from his seat and plops himself on the stool. He grabs his rented double bass leaning on the wall adjacent and pivots it side to side in thought. “I think I saw someone from colour guard pass by and look into the window real strange.”

“Really? Who?”

Jake shrugs. “Couldn’t see. She was too quick.” He goes back to fixing his stand and rearranging his sheet music. He plucks at the strings of his bass, working through that pizzicato Rich knows he struggles with.

Rich feels Michael prod at his side with a drumstick. When Rich turns around to make a face at Michael, Michael points at Jake with the stick. “He’s a really oblivious guy. You gotta tell him someday.”

Rich grabs another drumstick and points to Michael in retaliation. “Why don’t you mind your own business, guy with a crush on the lanky woodwind kid?”

Michael gasps at the retort and proceeds to poke at Rich with two drumsticks. He sees that that is a bad idea when he sees Mr. Reyes walk into the rehearsal room.

“Your usual teacher had something come up during break and now I have to supervise you all in her place.” He gestures around the music room. “I’m usually a theatre man myself but I can appreciate the effort you put into your music.” He takes a seat at the front corner of the room and waves a dismissive hand at them. “From the top, I guess.”

“Which piece, Mr. Reyes?” Brooke Lohst, a cellist, calls out. Chloe Valentine, a flautist, huffs and twirls her hair with one hand while holding her flute on her lap with the other.

“The last one you did, I suppose,” Mr. Reyes replies.

Christine bursts into the rehearsal room, panting and huffing. “I’m sorry I’m late!” she says. “I promise it won’t happen again!” She rushes to her guitar case, brings out her guitar and sheet music, then bolts to her stand at the front of the orchestra and sets up. “I really hope this doesn’t make a bad impression on you guys,” she says as she looks back at the instrumentalists.

Michael sees Jeremy losing his grip on his clarinet. His stand partner catches his instrument for him and hands it back to him. Realising his blunder, Jeremy coughs and straightens up to focus on his sheet music.

“The last piece we did, right?” Christine says. Many members of the orchestra nod. “So that means…” she draws out the last word as she searches through her folder, “the one with my solo in it.”

Mutters of agreement. Christine flips to the page of the piece and nods. She looks behind her and asks for Michael and Rich to start count.

Rich beats Michael to it. “One. Two. One, two, three, four-”

The orchestra begins the piece with relative competency. The woodwinds get their section right with minor hiccups from Jeremy staring at the back of Christine’s head. Chloe stands out among the other flautists with her confident dynamics. The brass, as always, have trouble with volume and play too loudly in some parts and too softly in others. The violins are in silent competition with each other, with the first violins giving the second violins dirty looks whenever someone from that section would mess up bowing. Michael and Rich lean back and watch the orchestra unfold the piece, with one of them sitting up to perform the sparse bars that are laid out in front of them.

“I’m betting you that someone in this room is behind this,” Michael whispers to Rich. “Someone with a crush on us.”

“How can one person have a crush on two people?” Rich says.

Michael shakes his head. “The handwriting on the notes we got are written by two different people. That must mean that those two people gave their note to, like, a mule or something to plant here.”

The whole orchestra falls silent when they arrive at Christine’s solo. She clers her throat and starts strumming the chords leading up to her song. She sings the melody sweetly and with the grace that comes with knowing the piece well. Everyone watches her with awe, especially Jeremy. The boy is looking at her like she’s Edith Piaf and it pulls at Michael’s gut.

Rich sees this and puts a reassuring hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, dude. We can be sad pining saps together.” He holds out a fist for Michael to bump. Michael taps at Rich’s fist with his own and the two sit up and perform the one interesting section for their part.

* * *

_Incident #2_

Jake Dillinger arrives first in the rehearsal room. He passes by Jenna Rolan, a girl from colour guard, before entering the room. Jenna gapes at Jake, curses to herself, and bolts the other direction. Jake shrugs at the strangeness of her action.

He goes into the music closet and digs out his massive double bass. He lugs it to his section of the room and lays the case down. He opens the case and finds a note stuck in between the strings. It’s folded up and it has his name on it, typed up. He grabs the paper and unfolds it.

> _You have really nice hands. I hope they hold mine someday._

Jake covers his mouth at the sweetness of the note. He looks around the room.

He sees no one.

He looks at the note again, still typed up. It has no name, no date, nothing to trace back to someone.

He hugs the note to his chest and smiles. He folds up the note and puts it in his pocket.

Rich walks into the rehearsal room. He is swinging his trumpet case by his side. “Sup, Jakey Dee,” he says. He notices the traces of the smile that Jake had after reading the note. “Whatcha happy for?”

Jake busies himself with his double bass. “Nothing, I just thought of something funny.”

Rich nods and goes to the brass section of the room. He sees that Jake is touching his pocket more often than usual. He decides to ask the question gnawing in the back of his mind.

“Did you, by any chance, find a note in your case?”

Jake’s head shoots up and he turns to Rich with wide eyes. “How did you know?”

Rich brings out the note from last rehearsal and flashes the folded-up paper to Jake. “I got one too. Wonder who’s been sending these…”

Jeremy rushes into the rehearsal room. His eyes dart around the room, only to land on the two boys. He looks at his watch, then at the clock in the rehearsal room, then curses.

“Something wrong, Jer?” Jake asks. Jeremy belatedly notices the query directed at him.

“Hm? Oh, I thought I was late and,” he begins to gesticulate, “you know, I could’ve spent that time doing something else when-”

“Hey, tallass,” Rich says. “You keep your clarinet in the music closet, right?”

Jeremy nods. He raises a brow at the other boy. “Did you-?”

Rich waves his hands in front of him in a gesture of denial. “I didn’t do anything, I swear! I was just wondering if it’s happened to you yet.”

“If _what’s_ happened to me?” Jeremy goes into the closet and takes his clarinet case from the shelf. He opens the case and gasps.

“Someone left a note!” he says. He opens up the folded paper with his name on it and reads.

> _Sometimes I find myself getting lost in your eyes. I hope you can lead me back so I can find my way to your heart._

Jeremy squeaks and brings the note to his chest.

“Was it a love note?” Jake asks.

“Was it completely anonymous? No name anywhere but yours?” Rich asks.

Jeremy nods to both of them. “Did… Did the same thing happen to you?”

“So I see we’re gathered around like a bunch of gossips,” Michael says as he strolls into the room. He peers over at the group. “What’s the latest goss?”

“Remember the notes we got?” Rich says. “Jeremy and Jake have one too.”

Michael’s eyes widen and he looks at Jeremy and Jake. “I didn’t know you two were popular.”

“I’m not!” Jeremy says.

“I am,” Jake says at the same time. “But no one’s ever done anything like this for me.” He lets a grin creep into his face. “I kinda like it!”

Rich clears his throat. “For all we know, it could be some creep sending us these notes.”

“Or it could be someone who likes us,” Jeremy pipes in.

“Who would like a bunch of orchestra kids, let alone _us_?” Michael retorts.

“Well, I think you’ll find someone someday, Michael,” Jeremy says.

Michael hides a blush by turning away and walking over to the percussion instruments. “I have to set up.” Rich follows him.

Rich taps at Michael’s shoulder. “Dude, someone is beating you to it!” he says. “We _have_ to find the mule.”

Michael waves a dismissive hand. “It’ll pass, I assure you. Someone’s probably bored and they get off on our reactions or something.”

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Jake couldn’t stop thinking about the notes they got. Who could it be from? Why do Rich and Michael have it too? Is it someone in the orchestra?

Their teacher scolds them more often than usual for messing up bars and being too flat or too sharp or coming in too early. Jake bows his head and fixes his mistakes as soon as they’re called out. Jeremy, on the other hand, stutters an apology and hunches his shoulders as he sets aside his emotions while he plays.

* * *

_Incident #3_

“I’m trying to keep the peace here!” Chloe says. She and Brooke are walking back towards the rehearsal room a few minutes before their break is over. “All I’m saying is that if you’re gonna be at rehearsal, _you better rehearse._ ”

Brooke nods. “Yeah, I understand where you’re coming from. But Jenna’s kind of a part of the family. And she doesn’t bother any of us.”

“Well, she bothers _me._ ”

They walk into the room and find Jenna at her usual spot. “Speak of the devil,” Chloe says with a roll of her eyes.

“Hi, Jenna!” Brooke says, running up to Jenna. They share a hug and Brooke begins to talk with Jenna about the latest episode of _How to Get Away with Murder._

“I wonder how all those flashbacks and flash forwards connect!” Brooke says.

“Girl, I have a _whole_ essay about what I think is going to happen.”

Chloe shakes her head at the banter and walks over to her stand. She stops short when she finds a folded paper with her name on it and a heart enclosing it.

She takes a seat and places her flute on her lap. She unfolds the paper. Her flute nearly rolls off her lap.

> _You may not see me coming, but I can definitely imagine_ you _coming._

She coughs and clears her throat, then pockets the note. Brooke’s ears perk to the sound of Chloe coughing and the cellist immediately runs to her side.

“Is there something wrong? Did a fly get stuck in your throat?” Brooke starts touching Chloe, making sure she’s alright. Chloe bats away at Brooke’s hands.

“I’m okay, I just… saw something that caught me off-guard.”

Brooke tilts her head in that puppy dog way. Every time, it makes Chloe’s heart melt, and she hates herself that this _girl_ is doing these things to her. There is a small part of her that wishes the note came from Brooke. She shakes her head and points at Brooke’s cello.

“I think you better take care of that,” Chloe says. “It looks like it’ll fall off.”

Brooke looks back and finds her cello teetering in its place by her stool. She rushes to the instrument and catches it before it falls. She breathes a sigh of relief, but the feeling is replaced with curiosity when she finds a note fall from the fretboard onto the floor.

Still holding her cello by the neck, Brooke bends over and grabs the note. Chloe stares at the other girl for longer than she admits and gets back to rearranging her sheet music. Her stand partner comes in and the two discuss about how best to execute that sforzando in bar 83.

Brooke takes her seat at her stool as she unfolds the paper with her name on it.

> _I know we’re close. But perhaps we can be closer with a date?_

Brooke gasps and searches for Jenna to tell her about the note. She finds no sign of the girl and deflates in her seat.

As she plays the piece that she’s memorised by now, she wonders who would give her the note? ‘I know we’re close’? What does that mean? Who has she been talking to that might imply-

“Ms. Lohst!” the music teacher says. “Care to come down to Earth?”

Brooke shakes her head from her reverie and mutters an apology. She must have continued playing while everyone else stopped.

Her eyes chance upon Jeremy Heere, the clarinet kid. The two of them look at each other. Jeremy sees the paper peeking out from Brooke’s stand _._ He gives her an empathetic look and mouths “You’re not alone” before turning back to listen to the teacher’s feedback for the woodwinds.

After rehearsal, Brooke approaches Jeremy as the boy is packing away his clarinet. “What did you mean that I wasn’t alone?”

Jeremy jolts at the sudden question, then looks up at Brooke. “Oh, it’s just that I saw the note peeking out from your stand,” he says, gesturing at the paper Brooke’s hand. “Me and a few boys got something like that too.”

Brooke’s face brightens up. “What does yours say?”

“That the person finds themselves getting lost in my eyes,” Jeremy replies with a wistful look. “What about yours?”

“I think mine wants to go on a date with me…”

“Lucky!” Rich says, emerging from the music closet. “Mine returned a little something I lost.”

“And mine thought my hands were really nice,” Jake says, covering his blushing cheeks.

“Mine complimented me on my hair,” Michael pipes in.

Brooke turns to Chloe, the only other girl left in the rehearsal room. “Did you get a note too, Chloe?”

Instead of replying, Chloe flashes the group the piece of paper addressed to her. Everybody gasps.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” Michael says. “We _have_ to find out where all these notes are coming from.”

“I’m forming a theory, but it’s still shaky in some places,” Rich says.

“Do you think this has anything to do with Jenna?” Jake asks. He is met with incredulous looks. Jake shrugs. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“We should investigate,” Brooke suggests. “Catch them in the act, get ‘em to talk. I say we stake out the rehearsal room real early.”

Jeremy and Rich nod at the idea. Michael makes a ‘pfft’ sound. “Count me out, for I value my sleep too much.”

“It’s okay,” Brooke says. “Chloe and I can stake out. I have a car.”

Chloe starts to protest. “Are you kidding? We’re gonna have to get up so early for that!”

“But don’t you want to know who’s behind all this?” She clutches at Chloe’s wrists and pouts her biggest pout with her saddest puppy dog eyes. “Don’t you want to satisfy your curiosity?”

Chloe peers down at the other girl’s pleading expression. The curve of her lips and the shape of her eyes draw her in and hypnotise her. The soft touch of her hands melts her cold heart even further. Chloe relents and agrees. Brooke cheers and hugs her tightly.

“I’m so happy we’re close enough to do this.”

“Yeah…” Chloe says. “Close…” _Not close enough_ , she thinks.

* * *

_Catching the Culprit_

Brooke and Chloe have snuck into the rehearsal room at the break of dawn. Brooke picked at the lock for ten minutes before hearing a click and swinging the door open. Chloe looks at the unlocked door, then at the smaller girl barging into the music closet.

“You never told me you could do that,” Chloe says. Brooke settles herself in between a tuba case and a massive crate of sheet music. Chloe closes the rehearsal room door behind her and the door to the music closet as well. She uses her phone to light the way to a space near Brooke. Chloe crouches down and slots herself at the lowest level of a brass shelf. She pushes aside some rented trumpets and trombones to make room for her legs.

“You never asked,” Brooke replies. “I have a set and everything. It’s in the third drawer on my desk.”

Chloe hums. She breaks the silence that stretches between them. “Why are you so desperate to find out who’s sending the notes?” she asks. “For all we know, it could be just some boy trying to get into your pants.”

Even in the dark, Chloe could still sense the bright optimism in Brooke’s reply. “Because this one feels special. I just know it. They said that we were close so maybe it’s someone I know!”

Chloe chuckles. “Someone you know… They’re probably stretching that term and it turns out it’s that kid who looked at you weird during biology.”

Brooke huffs. “Why do you have to deflect so much? Why can’t you just… brighten up for a second?”

“Because it sucks when the one thing you want is right in front of you and she doesn’t even notice!” Chloe blurts out.

The silence that ensues pierces through both of them. The high-pitched ring lacing through their ears and the musty air of the closet starts to feel amplified with the weight of the confession. Brooke curls in on herself and Chloe buries her face in her hands, crushed with regret at her confession.

The door opens and in comes-

“Jenna Rolan?!”

Jenna squeaks as she turns on the light and finds the two girls. “What are you doing here?!” she asks.

“I might ask you the same thing,” Brooke says. She stands up from her hiding spot and puffs out her chest.

Jenna rolls her eyes. “Look, let’s cut the crap, alright? You both came to me asked me to plant the note on your stands.”

Brooke sputters and her eyes dart from Chloe to Jenna. “I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about!” she says, finding her voice becoming higher and more incredulous. She clears her throat.

Jenna groans and drags her hands down her face. “I _just_ heard you guys confess your love for each other. I’m surprised you haven’t made out at this point.”

It’s now Chloe’s turn to stand up and sputter. “Hey, _you_ try accidentally revealing your long-enduring crush on someone close to you. Then you can come back and lecture me.” She crossed her arms and pouts. “It’s definitely not a nice feeling.”

Brooke deflates and throws up her hands in a defeated gesture. “Fine.” She makes her way out of the closet. “Thank you, Jenna, for planting my note on Chloe’s stand,” she says when she’s an arm’s length away from Jenna. Jenna nods and accepts the statement of gratitude. She gives Chloe an expectant look.

Chloe sighs and makes her way through the closet. She holds out her hand for Jenna to shake. “Thank you for sneaking my note to Brooke on her cello while she wasn’t looking.”

“And thank _you_ ,” Jenna says to the two girls, “for finally getting a hold of yourselves and confessing to each other.” She holds up a note. “Now to plant-”

“Jenna? Chloe? Brooke?”

The three girls turn around and find Christine in front of the rehearsal room, carrying her violin case. “What’s going on? Why are you all here?”

Jenna stutters and puts the note behind her back. “Christine!” she says, grinning wide. “What a pleasant surprise that you’re here early!”

Chloe and Brooke look at each other, knowing full well what Jenna’s expression meant. That, they said to each other with their eyes, is the face of a girl who just got caught out by her crush. The two make their way out of the rehearsal room and back to their car.

“So now that we both know that we both asked Jenna to plant our notes to each other…” Chloe begins.

“Then that means she must’ve done the same for the boys,” Brooke finishes. She looks over her shoulder and glances at Christine and Jenna talking.

Jenna is holding out the note, laughing and rubbing a hand at the back of her neck. Christine holds up a finger and procure a note from her pocket as well. The two girls’ eyes brighten up and they swap notes.

Brooke turns back and makes her way to her car. “That’s a mystery solved!” she says, getting into the vehicle’s backseat. Chloe tilts her head at the action.

“Aren’t you going to drive?” Chloe asks, getting in the backseat as well.

Brooke shakes her head. “I think it’s time that you see me coming,” she says with a wink.

Chloe gulps.

* * *

_Mystery Solved, Part 1_

“Hold on,” Michael says to Jeremy at lunch. “So you’re telling me…” he grabs a pen and paper and starts writing down names and diagrams, “that Brooke asked Jenna to plant her note on Chloe’s desk, and Chloe also asked Jenna to plant her note on Brooke’s cello while she’s not looking?”

Jeremy spreads his arms. “That’s what Brooke told me, yeah.” He makes a curious expression. “I wonder why she sounded so out of breath… Her hair was ruffled too and her cardigan was rumpled-”

Michael spits out his drink. He coughs and gestures for a change of subject. “We do _not_ want to speculate what happened there. Now!” He turns back to the diagram. “We have that pair solved. And apparently Jenna was going to plant her note in Christine’s guitar case?”

“Yeah, I was actually surprised at that part,” Jeremy says. “I never knew she had feelings like that for Christine.”

“Yeah, not when _you_ clearly have feelings for her,” Michael mutters.

“What? Me? No!”

“Then why do you stare at her so much?”

“Because…” Jeremy gesticulates. “She’s a good musician! I can only dream of playing more than one instrument, let alone sing.” He looks at a distance with wistful eyes. Those eyes that Michael always finds himself to be lost in. Those mesmerising hues and shades that draw him in and make him fall in love even deeper-

“But that doesn’t explain the other notes. The ones that we got,” Jeremy says. Michael snaps from his reverie and Jeremy sees that Michael hasn’t been paying attention.

“Did you just… get lost in my eyes?”

Michael clears his throat. “No, I wasn’t, what are you-?”

“You totally were!” His smile widens into a giddy grin and he speaks aloud his train of thought. “You must’ve been the one to send me a note! Jenna would’ve been your mule; how else could she have gotten your note in my case. So now that we know that-”

Jeremy stops short after processing his revalation in full. His voice turns hushed. “You sent me that note. You’re the guy who wants to find his way into my heart.”

Mihcael puts his head down on the table and brings his hood up. “You make me sound so sappy and gross,” he says, his voice muffled. Jeremy taps at Michael’s shoulder so he could come back up to face him.

“Don’t put up your hood,” Jeremy says, pulling the fabric down from his head. “It messes up that perfect hair.”

Michael grins, piecing together two and two.

* * *

_Mystery Solved, Part 2_

Jake sneaks into the back of the auditorium during his free period that coincides with Rich’s. He slinks behind the curtains and seats himself on a stool that he keeps there.

He comes here to listen to Rich learn to play the guitar. The trumpeter/percussionist struggled with chords for a while, unused to flexing his fingers for barre chords. However, after many practice sessions and even that one video tutorial Jake overheard one time, Rich got better and his chords sounded fuller and clearer.

He first came across Rich’s little habit by accident. He went into the auditorium for a nice place to nap when Rich walked in and started tuning his guitar. Jake wanted to leave the hall but also didn’t want to get caught. So he stayed and listened to Rich pluck and strum at the guitar. He found it relaxing and found himself coming back at the same time every day at school in hopes that he would catch Rich and listen to him play again.

As expected, Rich walks in fifteen minutes into the period. He would’ve needed time to grab his guitar from the back corner of the music closet and sneaking it into the auditorium. Rich takes centre stage and brings out his guitar from its case. He takes out his phone and starts tuning. He clicks his tongue sometimes when he can’t get a string right. Finally, all the strings are tuned and Rich’s plucks them all, letting the sound wash over the large hall.

Rich gets into the grit of it and starts plucking out a tune. It’s a new tune Jake hasn’t heard him practice before but Rich is playing it like he’s been rehearsing it for weeks.

“I know you’re back there,” Rich calls out from over his shoulder. Jake flinches in his stool. _Might as well be honest,_ he thinks.

He emerges from behind the curtain and scuffles his shoe on the stage floor. He sits down in front of Rich. “Sorry for stalking you,” Jake says, looking away.

Rich shakes his head. “All in the past now.” He continues plucking the rhythm, his fingers gliding back and forth on the fretboard. “Someone told me you like this song so I learnt it for you in secret. Never thought I’d play it to you like this.”

Jake laughs and listens to the mellow tune emanating from Rich’s guitar. It’s a comforting melody, something he can listen to on repeat for ages and never get sick of it.

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night,” Rich sings. “Take these broken wings and learn to fly.”

Jake watches Rich serenade to him. He is in awe of the mastery and the skill in Rich’s plucking. He is mesmerised with the tenor timbre of Rich’s voice washing over him. He is in love with the way Rich privately learned how to play an instrument so he could play this one song. A song that’s only meant for Jake. He lets himself be hypnotised by the culmination of all these parts and immerses himself in the music.

Rich’s playing slows down. “You were only waiting for this moment to arise.” He finishes the song with a G-chord and looks at Jake, searching for a reaction.

“I’ve…” Jake starts. “I’ve been waiting for a moment to arise too.” He inches forward towards Rich. Rich does the same, closing the gap between them.

“Which moment?” Rich asks, setting his guitar to the side and looking up at Jake with a bowed head.

“This one,” Jake says as he tips up Rich’s chin so he could kiss his lips. It’s soft and earnest and chaste and over all too quickly.

Rich chases the high of the moment by taking Jake’s hands in his. “I meant it when I said you have nice hands.”

Jake blushes beet red and bows his head. Rich laughs and brings Jake’s hands to his lips so he could kiss his knuckles.

“I like holding them,” Rich admits. “Will you let me hold them when we’re out in public?”

Jake nods. “But you gotta promise to show people your guitar skills. I didn’t return that pick for nothing.”

They both laugh and make their promises to each other. Jake asks Rich to play the song again and Rich obliges.

This time, after Rich finishes, their kiss lasts longer and feels much sweeter.

**Author's Note:**

> inspirations:
> 
>   * my 4 years of experience with school band/orchestra
>   * a music closet where Anything can happen
>   * sending anonymous love notes to my crush
>   * That One Kid who hangs around the music room despite not knowing how to play an instrument
>   * serenading to my crush as a form of love confession
> 

> 
> i lead a very simple life


End file.
